I'm fortunate enough to do something I love for a living. I never know what to label my trade -- and my actual job title never accurately captures what I do -- so that's why you find "Multidisciplinary Designer" on the landing page of my website. Currently and more specifically, my job involves both video production and graphic design. Photography enters the picture (eh? eh?) every now and again, as well.

I'm incredibly grateful and fortunate that my work has taken me all across the country, which has certainly made it better but, most of all, has humbled me. You grow up and think that the world is one way, but then you start to travel and see how your "world" is just part of a larger galaxy of life, right here on Earth. I traveled before my career started, but I think I've become even more appreciative of the experiences I have on the road while traveling for work. When you spend your days in front of a computer and in an office, you can start to feel like there is no world beyond the digital one we've constructed as a society. And there are areas of this digital world that are both depressing and very, very ugly.

I was really caught on this through the majority of 2015 until I started heading out on the road for a particular project. Whether it was in the airport, at the car rental desk, in the hotels, or on the locations I was filming, I met some very rad (it's a professional term, I swear) people. These people restored my faith in humanity, even if our interactions were simply for a few minutes. It helped remind me that the most rewarding, beautiful place is the real world -- not the "real world" we tend to get tied up in or entirely lost in that only exists online. We've definitely let this digital world negatively affect our perception of the real world, which is unfortunate, obviously. So much of the negativity and hate you find now is most certainly rooted in the digital world. People take things they see there and without hesitation assign them to be absolute truths about real life things.

Anyways, the photo you see above is a still from this project I traveled for throughout 2015. The video itself doesn't reflect my sentiment in the prior paragraphs (it was work-related), but it was an important project for me because of what it allowed me to see, what it allowed me to experience. From a hydroelectric facility in Connecticut to a solar powered distribution facility in California, I had a great time. What's more, I, along with the support and assistance of my fantastic colleagues and friends, spearheaded the project from scripting to storyboarding to filming to post-production. Typically with projects like these, you have a team, but, in many cases, I was forced to rely on myself. Some of the content was outsourced, some was repurposed from unused footage, and a lot of it was me running around with one camera, three lenses, one tripod, and some audio equipment. I traveled around with a massive 60-70lbs Pelican road case in addition to my suitcase. I scouted the shots; I set up the shots; I shot the shots; I edited the shots. So this project kicked my ass both mentally and physically, especially since it was just one of a number of commitments I had throughout the year. Regardless, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I won't share too many details of the video beyond that, but it will soon be publicly available for viewing. It's nothing top secret, but it hasn't been rolled out socially yet. I'll post it on the blog when it goes live.

Be Rad / Stay Positive / Cheers.

A lot of what I'm about to say is obvious. But that doesn't make it any less true or genuine.

Like anyone on this Earth, I've got a lot of ideas and things I want to share. Some of those ideas I want to share in a public space of some kind  -- be it blogging, vlogging, etc. Now by ideas, I don't necessarily always mean concepts but rather projects, personal takes on certain things. Two things have prevented me from pursuing this: worry about how people will perceive it, or rather me, and not being disciplined enough to maintain consistency in posting content. I'd also admit that part of my hesitancy was rooted in my discomfort knowing that an underlying motivation for starting up a new, personal blog was a desire to gain some recognition. I've always created because it's what gets me out of bed in the morning. I do it for myself before anyone else.

I don't want to be famous, but over my lifetime, I've had a lot of people encourage me and tell me I had talent -- whether it be in design, video, or music. Often times, I finish creating something and think it's something that people other than me could get something out of. Anyone who actually knows me is aware of how self-deprecating I can be, but over the past year I've come into my own and begun to shed the fear of socially recognizing my talent. That's not to say I will walk around and think or believe I'm the best at anything -- I'm not -- but with age I've come to appreciate the importance of taking pride in both what my capabilities are and what my potential truly is.

So, I reminded myself while running today that at the end of the day I really don't care what anyone thinks. You may be the only thing you carry from the cradle to the grave, but life is more about making connections, making people smile, and, hopefully, leaving the world having made some sort of positive impact -- even if it's just with one person. That doesn't happen without being fearless and living honestly. Now, we have this thing called "the Internet," and, for better or worse, it's the ultimate avenue for making those connections -- outside of engaging people in person, which, let's face it, happens less and less because people decided it was easier (and in some cases better) to learn about a person via his or her Internet persona. This makes me super bummed, but that's the world we live in now. Anyways, naturally some of those connections that happen will be superficial/fake/etc., but on occasion you can forge some truly amazing relationships. From my passion for sneakers and nature to my artistic endeavors, I'm going to try to be more prolific in how I share it all in 2016 -- and, well, maybe beyond. But I'll start with this year.

Life is short and it could all end tomorrow...or in a few minutes. Or maybe it won't end, but I won't be able to live like I want to because of some unfortunate accident. It's now or never to make the most of it. I don't know what this all means quite yet, but it starts on Monday. Let's all kick fear and inhibition to the curb in 2016 and fully embrace our passions.

Cheers and Happy New Year.

Way back in June of this year, I started work on a new music project that was unlike anything I'd done in the past. Influenced by the increasing amount of electronic-based music I was listening to, I found myself inspired to create something in a similar vein.

Earlier this week, I was revisiting an incomplete instrumental demo from the project and realized it had a bit of an eerie tone to it -- a bit apropos for the season. Then, I realized Halloween was just a few days away. And so I decided I'd commit to finishing it before 10/31 had come and gone. Eventually, this song will be part of a larger project, but for now...enjoy. Download here.